Madurai: Five special teams have been set up by Madurai Rural Police to trace children missing since 2004, a top official of the police department said on Monday.

A survey conducted by police on missing children, which included the cases registered by them, revealed that 32 children were missing. A majority of missing children were girls, Vijendra Bidari, SP, Madurai Rural District, said.

Details about parents of missing children besides other details of children staying in homes and those begging in public places were also being collected.

The objective behind the formation of the special teams was to trace the children and hand them back to their parents, officials said.